Eva: Above and Beyond
by Knife Hand
Summary: Discontinued. Has been re-written and is located in the Evangelion section under the name Eva: Above and Beyond Revamped.


Title: Eva: Above and Beyond  
  
Author: Knife Hand  
  
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or Space Above and Beyond. I would buy them but I am broke.  
  
Summary: Follows the 106th Japanese Marine Squadron, lead by Shinji Ikari, in their battle against the Chigs. A Neon Genesis Evangelion, Space: Above and Beyond crossover.  
  
AN: I know that there are military regulations prohibiting fraternization between officers, just imagine that they were waived from high up for the Royalty.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The sun set over the ocean and the overlooking wooded cliffs. The top of the cliffs appeared empty to casual observation. Shinji slowly turned his head to look at his executive officer and wife, Rei, who was sitting a few feet away from him covered in her camouflage cloak, just as he was. Checking his sniper rifle by rote, Shinji Ikari waited for night. Rei waited in the silent and absolutely still manner that she was famous for among the 106th, "The Royalty", it had inspired her call sign, of Ice Queen. Shifting his eyes upwards slightly, Shinji thought back to his early life on earth, years ago and half a sky away.  
  
He spent his childhood with Rei and his mother, his father was never home. Rei had been orphaned when her mother died in childbirth two days after his own birth, so his mother had taken Rei in. As children, Shinji and Rei were almost always together, Rei having formed a tight attachment to Shinji. Rei's slight shift in position brought Shinji back to the moment. The sun had fully set and it was time to move. Rei silently followed Shinji to the target site where they set up for the kill. Rei, who was the better sniper, was to take out a high level Chig officer; Shinji was to take a target of opportunity, the Areotech executive that was supposed to meet the Chig officer here.  
  
After laying in wait for several hours, the two targets were identified. Shinji and Rei fired at the same time, the sound of, what seemed like a single, gunshot echoed around the meting site and in the confusion that followed, Shinji realised who his target was. His body operated on automatic as he rendezvoused with Rei (having fired from different locations) and headed for the evac site. His mind was repeating one phrase in a constant loop. "I killed my father."  
  
********  
  
As the transport carried them back to the carrier 'Atsugi', Rei looked over at her husband and felt concerned, she saw deep emotion on his hard face. She had recognised that his target had turned out to be his father, the man who had taken her in just after she was born, and the man who was almost never there. As he had been the only male role model in her life, besides Shinji, when she was young she did feel pain at his death, but she knew that Shinji felt great pain and guilt because he had fired the bullet.  
  
Taking his hand in her own, she squeezed it slightly, to let him know she was with him and gave him a small smile, which he returned. They ignored the technician who look about to pass out at the sight of the famous "Ice Queen" and "Stone King" of The Royals showing emotion. After docking they walked along the corridors of 'Atsugi' to their barracks. Their common room was sparsely furnished, but felt like home.  
  
Touji and Hikari Suzuhara, the other married couple with the call signs "Duke" and "Dutches", sat on the sole couch watching the view screen, catching up on news from home. Asuka Langley Sohryu, the fiery half-German redhead, call sign "Fire Princess", sat at the terminal chatting to her secret online lover going by the name of "Joker58". Kensuke Aida, call sign "Baron", could be seen, through the open door of his bunkroom to be soldering some electronics equipment.  
  
"How was the mission?" Touji asked idly, sipping on a beer, as Shinji and Rei moved towards their room.  
  
"It went ok." Rei replied quietly, hurrying Shinji into the bedroom.  
  
When the door slid shut behind them, Rei help Shinji to sit down on the bed, where he cried hard on her shoulder. After a few hours, when Shinji had calmed down some, Rei recorded a message to Shinji's mother, her adopted and step mother, Yui explaining what had happened, without spilling any confidential information.  
  
Sitting back on the bed, with Shinji's head resting in her lap, she slowly stroked his hair and hummed to him. The tune, which they had heard in a theme bar, set around 2002, called "Better Man" which has instantly become one of Shinji's favourite songs. After humming the song through once Rei was slightly surprised when Shinji began singing along with her humming, not the original words, his own interpretation.  
  
'You're the one who loves me, When I rest in your arms, You keep me safe from harm, And the pouring rain.  
  
You're my endless summer, You take away the cold, Stop me feeling old, Before my time.  
  
With you, I feel no shame, You take away this pain, So I'm doing all I can, To be a better man.  
  
You're my only conscious, 'Cause it is my fault, Although you were told, There was no blame.  
  
You are my angel, You catch my tears, Help me out of here, Stop the pain.  
  
With you, I feel no shame, You take away this pain, So I'm doing all I can, To be a better man.'  
  
The words hung in the air for a moment before fading. Rei knew that Shinji still had issues to work through surrounding his father's death, but now she knew that they would not consume him. Laying Shinji out properly, as he had fallen asleep, Rei curled up next to him and quietly cried for the only father she had ever known, and the pain he had caused her beloved.  
  
********  
  
Hikari circumspectly watched the door to Shinji and Rei's room close behind them. She looked at her oblivious husband as he drank his beer and watched the view screen.  
  
"I think something happened on mission. Both Shinji and Rei seemed upset." she said to the room.  
  
"Something must really be up. Let's keep an eye on them." Asuka said, turning away from the computer.  
  
Kensuke nodded adamantly from the door of his room.  
  
The six adults who shared this squad room were both different and the same as they had been fifteen years earlier, as children in school. Kensuke had grown, now almost as tall as Touji, and his slightly sand brown hair had lengthened and was now keep in a small ponytail. He had received laser eye surgery a few years earlier and with his lean and muscular body type, was considered to be quite attractive by the female crew members.  
  
Asuka was, like always, stunningly beautiful. Almost too beautiful to be a marine, her auburn hair was still waist length and styled loosely. Her body had filled out nicely, (very nicely), well muscled and with the long legs that stylised the "super-models" of the late Twentieth Centaury however she was not anorexic, rather a normal weight that consisted almost entirely of muscle.  
  
Touji still looked the typical jock, hiding his intelligence behind thoughtless comments, with is hair cut short and a well muscled frame. Hikari had matured into a very pretty woman, her dark brown hair pulled back in a shoulder length ponytail. She still possessed the wide eyed innocence and shyness that she had as a child, but underneath there was a slight edge.  
  
She had seen a lot, some of which she could never forget, and some especially gruesome things as a Medic. The whole squad had scars and injuries which would have killed them if it had not been for Hikari. Shinji and Rei, unlike the others who had their own skills and talents, worked and acted as if they were two part of a single personality.  
  
********  
  
The next morning, having been debriefed by the squad's Commanding Officer, Major Maisato Katsuragi, and the ship's captain, Commodore Kaji; and having had the required post mission medical preformed by Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, Shinji and Rei were to be found in the ship's bar drowning their sorrows at the loss of the man who had effectively been their father. They were barely stating their second drink when an announcement came over the ship's intercom.  
  
"Will the 106th report to the briefing room immediately. Repeat, Royalty to the briefing room."  
  
As usual, Shinji and Rei arrived first at the briefing room, regardless of how far away they were when the call went out. Touji, Hikari and Asuka arrived next, followed closely by Kensuke, who was wiping a lipstick stain, from his girlfriend the com officer of the 122nd, off his cheek. Major Katsuragi and Commodore Kaji arrived a few minutes later. When they entered the 106th stood to attention.  
  
"Sit down." Kaji ordered. "The high command wants to perform a dual squad operation, I don't know the specifics but the Royalty has been selected for this mission. You'll fly to these coordinates,"  
  
Kaji indicated to an area of the holographic star map, "Where you will rondeaux with the USS Saratoga. There you will meet the Wildcards, the other squad in this operation. You will be expected to obey the commands of their CO, a Lieutenant Colonel T.C. McQueen, call sign 'Queen Six'. Further information will be available when you arrive. You depart at six hundred tomorrow, get you gear stowed. Dismissed."  
  
The Royalty stood and filed out of the room.  
  
********  
  
"Barron, tighten up on Ice Queen." Shinji called out over the radio, checking the radar on his Hammerhead to track the squad.  
  
"Rodger Stone King." Kensuke replied, bringing his fighter closer to Rei's.  
  
The Royalty were approaching the coordinates for their rondeaux with the USS Saratoga. They were flying in their traditional paired arrowhead formation. Shinji, with Touji as his wingman, flew point, Rei and Kensuke were on the left flank and Hikari, with Asuka on her wing, covered the right flank. They flew and fought in these pairs with the better pilots, namely Shinji, Rei and Hikari, partnered with the weaker pilots, being Touji, Kensuke and Asuka, so that overall each pair had about the same amount of skill.  
  
"Stone King, this is Dutches. Target located at two o'clock high." Hikari called out over the radio.  
  
"Rodger that, Dutches." Shinji replied, before switching frequencies. "USS Saratoga. USS Saratoga, this is the Royalty requesting permission to land. Repeat, this is the 106th Japanese Marine Squadron requesting permission to land."  
  
"Royalty, this is the Saratoga. Permission granted, landing lights on." The reply came.  
  
Shinji switched back to the squad's frequency.  
  
"Alright people. Let's land these birds." Shinji said, light-heartedly.  
  
********  
  
Shinji and Rei popped their hatches at the same time. The Royalty gathered around Shinji as they moved out of the cockpit bay, where they were met by five people.  
  
"106th, they call us the Royalty." Shinji stated.  
  
"58th, Wildcards." Replied a tall man with short dark hair.  
  
"I'm Captain Shinji Ikari, call sign 'Stone King', I'm Honcho, this is my XO, Rei, AKA 'Ice Queen'. That's Asuka Soyru, know as 'Fire Princess'. Kensuke Aida, goes by 'Barron' and they are Touji and Hikari Suzuhara, 'Duke' and 'Dutches' respectively." Shinji said, noting that all the Wildcards except the brunet in the lead, along with the rest of the Royalty were Lieutenants.  
  
"Captain Shane Vansen. Honcho. 'Queen of Diamonds'." The brunet in the lead said.  
  
"Nathan West. XO. 'King of Hearts'." The man who originally spoke said.  
  
"Vanessa Damphousse. 'Ace of Hearts'." The darker woman said.  
  
"Cooper Hawks. 'Jack of Spades'." Said the man with longer hair.  
  
"Paul Wang. 'Joker'." Said the Asian man.  
  
"Joker? As in Joker58?" Asuka blurted out.  
  
"CirmsonP?!?" Paul said shocked.  
  
"Yep." Asuka replied.  
  
"I think things just got more complex." Shinji said, getting a nod from Rei.  
  
TBC 


End file.
